India head coach Gautam Gambhir has commended BCCI’s initiative to dedicate the IPL 2025 closing ceremony to the Indian armed forces in wake of the Operation Sindoor.

The board has invited all three chiefs of Indian armed forces for the tournament final, slated to be held in Ahmedabad on June 3.

While General Upendra Dwivedi is the Chief of Army Staff, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is the Naval Chief. Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh is the Chief of Air Staff.

“It is an unbelievable step…BCCI has taken a great initiative from a point of view where the entire nation is one and the nation has to salute the armed forces…I give a lot of credit to BCCI and the Armed Forces, who have been unconditionally helping, saving and protecting us," Gambhir was quoted as saying by ANI.

Earlier this week, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia announced that they will pay tribute to the “heroic effort" of Indian armed forces during Operation Sindoor in the IPL 2025 closing ceremony.

“We have extended an invitation to all Indian Armed Forces chiefs top-ranked officers and soldiers for the IPL final in Ahmedabad to celebrate the success of Operation Sindoor," Saikia told PTI.

“As a tribute, we have decided to dedicate the closing ceremony to the armed forces and honor our heroes. While cricket remains a national passion, there is nothing greater than the nation and its sovereignty, integrity, and security of our country," he added.

Operation Sindoor was launched on terror camps inside Pakistan and PoK after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22, which took lives of 26 people.

The operation led to a military conflict between India and Pakistan. As a result, the IPL 2025 was suspended for a brief period.

After the announcement of ceasefire, the IPL restarted with a rejigged schedule on May 17. The final was earlier set to be held on May 26 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The IPL 2025 playoffs will get underway from Thursday (May 29).